Dwight Howard has settled on a desired date to officially join the Los Angeles Lakers on the court. Five months removed from back surgery, Howard hopes he will be ready to go on opening night.

The Lakers begin their season against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and Howard is intent on meeting the deadline, Yahoo! Sports reported, citing a league source.

Howard has increased his workload in the past few weeks, making it more likely he will be able to suit up on the first night of the Lakers’ 2012-13 season.

The big man has maintained he is at 85 percent health and improving daily, Yahoo! Sports reports. Howard has yet to receive clearance to participate in full-contact basketball activities at the Lakers training camp on Tuesday. He has been allowed to start workouts at the Lakers training facility under the supervision of the team’s coaches and trainers.

Howard had back surgery to repair a herniated disk in April, which caused him to miss the final week of the regular season and the playoffs. He joined the Lakers in a four-team trade this offseason after eight seasons with the Orlando Magic. Playing through injury and trade speculation during much of 2011-12, Howard put up averages of 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds.